Values
by SGAFan
Summary: Sparked by an interesting discussion as to why Weir is just about the only person that goes off world unarmed. She has her reasons...but is that good enough for Sheppard?


_**Values**_

"Off-world activation!"

From the Gate room landing, Major Lorne swiftly entered the control room. "Who is it?"

Dr. Zalenka's hands flew over one of the nearby laptops. "It's Colonel Sheppard's IDC."

Lorne glanced at the gate. "They're three hours early," he muttered. Tapping the call button on his radio, Lorne crossed the balcony and stared down at the active Stargate. "Colonel Sheppard, this is Major Lorne. What's your status?"

"Major! Get a security detail to the Gate room and lower the shield! We're coming in…"

Lorne winced as gunfire drowned out Sheppard's voice. "Yes, sir!" The Major spun, fixing gazes with Zalenka. "Lower the shield!" Lorne dashed to the stairs all the while barking orders into his radio. "Security detail to the Gate room!" Charging down the stairs, Lorne drew his side arm stopped dead center between the gate and the staircase. He glanced right, then left as Atlantis soldiers descended on the active Stargate and took defensive positions.

Tapping his radio, Lorne's gaze never left the shimmering wormhole. "Colonel Sheppard, we're ready on this end." Lorne's gaze narrowed as he was met with the distinct sounds of fighting, but no reply. "Colonel Sheppard, do you copy?"

Abruptly, three figures emerged from the wormhole. Lorne never broke concentration on the Stargate as Teyla knelt, her P-90 trained on the Stargate, while Dr's Weir and McKay hastily moved out of the line of fire of the surrounding soldiers.

Lorne hazarded a glance at Weir, and repressed the urge to stare at her. Visibly shaken, Weir's face was pale, and her eyes wide. The Major pushed down his apprehension. "Ronon? The Colonel?"

"Right behind us…I hope…" Elizabeth's breathless voice was hushed.

Lorne's attention was drawn back to the gate as two figures emerged.

Backpedaling and still firing into the wormhole both Sheppard and Ronon staggered heavily.

"Raise the shield!" Lorne arched an eyebrow as Weir and Sheppard's voices both joined his, their synchronized shout echoing off the high ceilings.

The shield sprang to life and repelled several unwelcome visitors, before the wormhole abruptly disengaged.

Lorne lowered his gun, his eyes quickly flicking over the off world team. Each was breathless, but seem uninjured and for that, the Major was grateful. His gaze settled on Sheppard. "Colonel? What happened? I thought the Dendans were going to be allies?"

Sheppard fixed Lorne with a serious stare, before his gaze drifted to Weir. The Colonel stared long and hard at her for a moment. "So did I, Major. The Dendans, apparently, had other ideas."

Cryptic, the Colonel's statement confused Lorne but he was patient enough to know he'd eventually be brought up to speed in the debriefing. "Yes, sir." Lorne's gaze settled on a long, narrow tear in Sheppard's sleeve. The Major's eyes widened. "Sir? Are you wounded?" Lorne took a step back as Weir interposed herself between him and Sheppard, and grabbed the Colonel's arm.

"John?" Weir turned his arm and fingered the tear in his coat sleeve.

"They missed." Sheppard shrugged.

Lorne arched an unconvinced eyebrow but said nothing. Weir seemed to have the situation in hand.

In a no-nonsense way, Weir grabbed both ripped ends and pulled, fully tearing the sleeve.

"Hey!" John's protest died under the concerned glare of Elizabeth.

Seeing no evidence of a wound, Elizabeth stepped back. "When did this happen?"

Feeling like he was watching a tennis match, Lorne's attention had been bouncing back and forth between the Doctor and the Colonel, but the intense expression that suddenly blanketed the Colonel's expression grabbed Lorne's attention…and kept it.

Sheppard's eyes narrowed, the effect instantly intensifying his expression even more. "Covering your six," John muttered. He held her gaze for a moment longer before looking over at Lorne. "Debriefing in 30 minutes."

"Yes, sir," Lorne responded, but his reply fell on deaf ears, as Sheppard once again looked at Weir.

"We need to talk."

Lorne watched as Weir nodded once, and headed for the stairs, Sheppard right behind her. The Major squinted at the retreating pair. Something had happened…_No kidding!_ He chastised himself. But, there was something else going on. Of that, the Major was sure.

-----------------------

Elizabeth steadily crossed the control room and headed for her office. She could hear John's steps behind her, feel his presence…sense his tension. She felt her brows quirk. He had every right to be tense. The Dendan mission had been a close one. What should've been a routine diplomatic mission had instantly disintegrated in front of her eyes, and all the diplomatic skills she'd practiced so long, hadn't done them a bit of good.

Elizabeth swallowed hard. She felt wrung out and even shaky as adrenaline faded from her body. She pulled in a deep breath, grateful for the action of walking, for if she was forced to stand still, Elizabeth was sure her shaking knees would give away just how rattled she was from this whole ordeal.

Entering her office, Elizabeth retreated behind her desk and slowly sat, relieved the large desk provided her with at least a little cover. She forced a steadiness to her hands and gently folded them on the desktop.

Feeling somewhat composed, she looked up, watching, as Sheppard slowly slid her office door shut, turned and faced her. Weir kept her expression neutral as she studied his features. Tension lined John's face, and intensity radiated from his hazel eyes. But deeper, lingering just behind that tension was a thoughtful expression. He looked to be considering something, and that was the part of him Elizabeth addressed. "What's on your mind, John?"

A flicker of amusement passed quickly through his expression as he nodded slightly. Reaching up and unclasping his P-90, John carefully laid it on a chair, unzipped his vest and slowly paced her office.

Her head never moving, Elizabeth's eyes followed him.

He stopped next to the large window in her office and stared down at the inactive Stargate. Shoving his hands deep in his pockets, Sheppard rocked back and forth slightly on the balls of his feet, as his expression turned deeply thoughtful, his lips twitching as he seemed to mull over unspoken words.

Elizabeth arched an eyebrow. "John?" She prompted lightly.

Sheppard slowly looked at her. He abruptly stopped rocking, and stood rock still. "That was a close call, Elizabeth."

Weir felt her other eyebrow join the first as she sighed deeply. "Yes, it was." She smiled slightly at him. "You did good getting us out of there, John."

Wrinkles formed on Sheppard's forehead as he nodded slightly. "We were lucky."

Elizabeth's smile was small as she leaned back in her chair. "I don't think it was luck at all."

John shook his head and grabbed his torn coat sleeve. "Then what do you call this?"

Weir sighed, suppressing a slight panic over just how close a call that torn coat sleeve was. "Luck." She admitted quietly. Her brows furrowed. "Just what are you getting at, John?"

Sheppard's expression took on a hard edge, and Elizabeth got the distinct impression he was done mincing words.

"Teyla should've been with Ronon and me covering you and McKay," he stated matter-of-factly as he walked back across her office. "There were too many Dendans for Ronon and I to handle."

"Okay," Elizabeth replied. Wary she once again folded her hands on her desk. "Then why…" Weir arched her brows as Sheppard cut her off.

"Because I didn't know where the enemy was," John interrupted forcefully, "and I damn sure wasn't going to leave you and McKay with one 9 mil between you! I don't care how close by I was!"

Elizabeth felt a cold knot in her stomach, as the facts started to come together. "What are you saying?" She asked quietly, silently dreading the answer.

John's determined expression was laced with concern. "You need to be armed when you go off world, Elizabeth."

Deep down, she knew those words were coming. From the very beginning, John had always insisted that everyone, soldier and scientist alike, be armed whenever they went off world. He'd even taken it upon himself to train most of the civilians on how to handle and use a gun safely, even if it was, by his own words, only to make sure they didn't shoot his damn toe off. She'd been off world a few times already, and had deftly avoided the topic, but after todays near miss, Elizabeth knew Sheppard was done dancing around the issue.

"John…" She started, with her best placating tone, but Sheppard would have nothing of it.

"Don't argue with me about this, Elizabeth. You need to be able to defend yourself if you have to." He stopped in front of her desk and leaned on both knuckles as he stared down at her. "I don't know…" he sighed. "I may not always be able to protect you."

Elizabeth stared back at him, her gaze deepening. Sheppard's expression was imploring, but behind that, something akin of fear subtly grabbed her. She shook her head, breaking the eye contact as she looked away. Pushing away from her desk, Elizabeth stood and backed away from Sheppard. "I'm a diplomat, not a soldier…"

"McKay's a physicist, but he carries a gun off world!" John interrupted. His voice trailed off at her raised hand.

"No, John, let me finish," she stated firmly. Elizabeth stared hard at him, until Sheppard arched both brows and waved absently for her to continue. "Carrying a gun into a diplomatic situation, where I'm expected to peacefully negotiate terms for…whatever, is threatening. Just the act of carrying it, even if I never touched it, is threatening. That's not the way to establish peaceful negotiations."

"You go to these 'negotiations' with armed men around you!" John countered hotly.

"It's not the same, John!" Elizabeth raised her voice to match his. She pointed emphatically at her chest. "**_I_** am not armed!"

"Okay," Sheppard's voice hinted at the barely controlled frustration. "So when all hell breaks loose like it did today, someone has to guard you, because you're defenseless!"

"How would my carrying a gun change that?" Elizabeth shot back at him. She rounded her desk and stopped in front of John. "You'd still cover the six and send everyone, including myself back through the gate first." Elizabeth arched an eyebrow, mildly surprised at how easily the military slang had worked it's way into her speech. After years of pushing for downsizing military forces, the irony of her association with the same thing she'd tried to eliminate the need for, calmed her anger.

Elizabeth turned away from Sheppard, slightly stunned at her realization. She took a moment to collect her thoughts. For a moment, she considered Sheppard's words, but the moment was fleeting, as the consummate diplomat within her took over. She turned back to John. "I can't be a diplomat and carry a gun, John," she stated with finality.

Sheppard's gaze narrowed. "You don't like them," he said quietly.

Elizabeth's eyes widened. "No! I don't! I've spent my life trying to eliminate the need for them!" Her next words died on her lips as Sheppard silently walked up to her. "What?"

"I wasn't talking about the diplomat, Elizabeth. I was talking about you. You don't like them."

Elizabeth arched an eyebrow. "This isn't about me. This is about what I do. How can I try to foster peaceful negotiations when I'm carrying a gun?"

Sheppard's expression turned slightly amused. "Somehow I think you could sell freezers to Eskimos, regardless of whether you were carrying a gun or not."

Despite her tension, Elizabeth felt a smile tug at the corner of her mouth. "This isn't funny."

Instantly, the amusement disappeared from John's face. "No, it's not." Casually sitting on the edge of her desk, Sheppard crossed his arms and stared seriously at her. "Every time you insist on going off world, unarmed, you put my team at risk. There's nothing funny about that."

Elizabeth blinked hard, confusion sweeping through her. "What are you talking about?"

"Because," John's voice was deadly serious, "if all hell breaks loose like it did today, I have to make sure someone armed is right with you, every moment. I have to send Teyla to cover you because Rodney's one 9 mil isn't enough if you were attacked. And when I do that, it leaves Ronon and me to cover the rest of you, when it should've been Ronon, Teyla and myself." Sheppard pushed himself up straight and stepped closer to her. "We were lucky today. Ronon and I," he held up his fingers, scant inches away from each other, "were that close to being overrun. If the Dendans would've been better soldiers, we would've been." Sheppard pulled in a deep breath. "Because you didn't have the means to defend yourself, it put members of my team at risk."

Elizabeth fought to keep her expression neutral, but inside her emotions were in turmoil. She turned and walked across the room. Staring at the busy command deck, Elizabeth tried to compose her thoughts. Clear and factual, John had presented her with an argument she couldn't rebuff, and left her with an opinion she could no longer justify. "This was an exception, John, not the norm. You can't measure today's experience against the overall argument." Her excuse was weak, and Elizabeth knew it…and heard it in John's reply.

"This is the perfect example, Elizabeth. We had absolutely no idea the Dendans were going to try and take us hostage in exchange for technology, but they did!"

Elizabeth fixed her eyes on the control deck as she heard Sheppard's steps approach. From the corner of her eye, she saw him point emphatically at the inactive gate.

"Every time we step through that gate, it's a risk. It's dangerous! Something like what happened today, or worse, could happen any time!"

Elizabeth silently considered Sheppard's words, and from his suddenly quiet demeanor, it seemed John was content to let her. Every shred of the diplomat within her screamed out against arming herself. Against going into a diplomatic situation with a 9 mil strapped to her thigh. But, over that resistance, her loyalty and devotion to her team and the expedition burned deeply within her. Since she first stepped through the gate to Atlantis, as the Expedition leader, Elizabeth always felt, always knew her first duty was to protect the people she led. For a moment, she found herself embroiled in an internal conflict as her duty to the expedition team fought with her desire to follow her diplomatic roots…

But were they really in conflict with each other? On Earth, maybe, but here in Pegasus? With the Wraith apt to show up at any moment? Or being ambushed by the Genii like Lorne's team had been only two weeks ago? What about the seemingly innocent peoples like the Dendans? Elizabeth never considered herself a pessimist, it wasn't a trait that was conductive to being a diplomat, but she'd always prided herself in being firmly grounded in reality…and since coming to Pegasus, she'd received a healthy does of it.

Elizabeth glanced at Sheppard, who silently stared out the window at the inactive gate. His neutral expression held notes of thoughtfulness, as if he knew the internal battle she was fighting.

Sensing her gaze, Sheppard eyed her, but still he said nothing.

Elizabeth looked away from him and back at the gate. "It's hard for me to accept, John."

"I know."

Weir found herself unable to keep from looking back at him.

John arched both brows, his expression imploring.

Silently, Elizabeth nodded slightly.

John's half smile was slight, almost unnoticeable, but Elizabeth still caught it, and felt the feeling behind it.

"I'll teach you," he volunteered.

Again, Elizabeth nodded silently. Torn, Elizabeth felt satisfied she was doing what was best for her team, but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel that in some way she was betraying all she had stood for all of her life. Her gaze fixed on the window, she barely heard Sheppard's footsteps as he headed for her door.

"If only," John paused, waiting for her to turn in response to his words.

Elizabeth did turn, her curiosity piqued. She arched a brow at his mischievous smile.

"To keep you from shooting my toe off." He quirked an eyebrow at her.

His humor was infectious, and Elizabeth found that she couldn't resist the smile that pulled at her mouth.

Elizabeth watched the Colonel leave before she walked around her desk, her hand running over the smooth surface as she considered the conversation she'd had with John. Her own values had been challenged. _It's not the first time_ she mused wryly, _and it probably won't be the last._

**_Author's Notes:_**

_A few times now, I've seen Weir go off world unarmed and that always puzzled me. Especially since everyone else, including Beckett and McKay carry at least a side arm. She's gone into some potentially hairy situations and she's always done it unarmed. I can't help but think Sheppard wouldn't be thrilled about this, and if she's going to continue off world missions, this conversation had to be coming eventually… ;)_

_SGAFan_


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